Video Kill
by ElegantButler
Summary: Edison Carter and Bryce Lynch are in the US on the trail of a killer, much to the annoyance of Agent Gibbs and his team.


Video Kill  
A Max Headroom/NCIS Crossover

Agent Gibbs didn't like reporters.

He didn't like the way they walked into a crime scene like they owned it. Nor did he like the way they nagged at the families of crime victims, exploiting their pain for the sake of ratings. And they didn't stop with just one report. There were anniversary documentaries where some asshole reporter would bang on the door of a family that just wanted to put the pain behind them and look to the future.

Needless to say, when Edison Carter from London's Network 23 arrived on the scene with his camera hoisted over his shoulder being trailed by a boy who looked as if he should be in school instead of wandering around murder scenes, it immediately put Gibb's wind up.

"He'll have to wait outside," Gibbs told Edison pointing directly at Bryce. "We don't allow children on site at crime scenes."

Bryce glared at Gibbs. This man was not scoring brownie points with Network 23's Head of Research and Development.

"This 'child' as you so eloquently refer to me," Bryce said, pointing to himself, "is probably twice as smart as any member of your group. So a little respect, I believe, is in order."

"We can argue about that later, Bryce," Edison said as an aside. "Agent Gibbs is it?" he asked.

"It is," Gibbs said. "And you're Edison Carter. I know you from your reports. Though I don't know who this boy is."

"Bryce Lynch, this is Agent Gibbs. NCIS."

"Naval Criminal Investigative Services," Bryce remarked without hesitation. "I assume you're the Supervisory Special Agent?"

"Yeah," Gibbs said, not sure how to handle this boy, who seemed far less intimidated by Gibbs' authority than the agent believed his should be. When Bryce said nothing further, he felt he should say something. After trying to think of what that should be, he finally settled on "Stay out of the way and don't touch anything."

"Why would I want to?" Bryce asked. "It's really grotesque. I can't believe you brought me here, Edison."

"I didn't have time to drop you off at the apartment," Edison said, not helping Bryce's case with Gibbs at all.

"Don't worry," Gibbs added in, "Mr. Carter won't be staying long, so you'll get to where you're staying early enough to get your homework done, to- "

"Agent Gibbs," DiNozzo said with an urgent voice as he approached, "we still haven't found a trace of any narcotic."

"So, you're certain it's a drug-related incident," Edison asked.

"Mr. Carter," Gibbs said, evenly, "either get that camera out of my face or you will be eating it."

"It could be visually induced," Bryce suggested. "Like that video narcotic that was imbedded in Whackets."

"You can't seriously expect me to believe that they have drugs that can taken visually," Gibbs said, glaring at this ridiculous boy who was wasting his valuable time. DiNozzo, since this investigation is clearly at a standstill until we uncover more evidence, I suggest you take the kid and go to the library or something."

Bryce sulked as he followed DiNozzo. He expected the man to have little enough imagination for him to actually take him to the local library. DiNozzo did so, but out of annoyance rather than lack of imagination.

Bryce stopped at the bottom of the library steps and bowed his head, motioning DiNozzo to do the same.

"Mind telling me what we're doing?"

"Showing respect for the departed," Bryce replied. "Print is dead. Tell me about the man who was murdered."

"First Petty Officer Jake Hansen," DiNozzo said. "And that's all you're getting. That and he died as a result of external forces."

"Drugs or a video narcotic,"

"Sorry, kid, " DiNozzo said. "We're not buying the video drug bit."

"I can see why your boss might say no, as he's clearly a pet of the government, but..."

"Let's get one thing clear," DiNozzo told Bryce. "Gibbs isn't anyone's pet. He's got his own reasons for doing what he does. And before you go trying to figure out what those reasons are, let me give you some good advice. Don't. Look, we can stand here on the library steps all day or we can go inside."

"I'd rather go someplace more interesting," Bryce sulked.

"Well, I have to get back to base, so..."

"Fine, I'll go with you,"

"Gibbs would have kittens if I took you back there,"

"And Edison would probably do an international report on how NCIS leaves helpless teenagers all alone in..."

"Okay! Okay!," DiNozzo said. "I'll bring you back to base with me. Just stay out from under foot."

Shortly after DiNozzo returned to the Washington Navy Yard, Abby passed the NCIS break lounge and stopped. Had she seen a kid in there? Backtracking, she found out that she was not mistaken.

"Um, can I help you?"

Bryce stood up. "You can if you're more intelligent that the rest of the people who work here. In the past  
hour I've been pushed around and insulted about a dozen times. You'd think being Network 23's Head of  
Research and Development would carry at least a little weight."

"I think I know exactly the guy you want to see," Abby told him, "unfortunately, he's on an errand. Until he gets back, why don't you tell me what you know."

"How do you know I know anything?"

"I'm in forensics," Abby told him. "It's my job to notice things."

"I've met two people whose job it is to notice things," Bryce told her. "Both today. And both amazingly blind to what's right in front of them."

"Hey, Abby, who's the kid?" McGee asked as he walked in with a cup of coffee and a laptop. With a sad look, he placed the laptop into the trash. "Fried. Whatever was in the killer's computer, it had a virus on it that wiped out ol' Sally before I could even try to link up."

Without a word, Bryce fished the laptop out of the garbage and opened it.

"You're not going to get it running," Abby told him, sadly, while McGee morosely sipped his coffee. "Tim here is one of the best computer techs around. If he can't make it work, it won't."

"Let him play with it," McGee said. "He can't make it any worse at this stage. Though I doubt you'd even find salvageable parts after the way she got fried."

Bryce reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a tech service kit and wordlessly began working on 'Sally'.

"How'd the ballistics turn out?" McGee asked.

"Weird," Abby admitted. "the gun we found doesn't match the bullets that were in the first or second victim's skulls. But it's consistent for all the others."

"A copy cat," McGee suggested.

"The rest of the evidence doesn't bear that out," Abby told him.

"Well, we need to..." he stopped in utter shock as he heard the sound of the laptop booting up.

"I don't believe it," McGee and Abby both said, staring at Bryce in amazement.


End file.
